# RH Stuck at 62%



## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

So i've had my new cigars in my Humidor for a little over 2 months now. I have a total of 30, I purchased them when I was in the States in NYC at JR Cigars. Recently, I've purchased 2 medium Heartfelt Tubes and installed them into my Humidor. However, it seems my Humidity after initially staying at 65% the first couple of days when I installed my Tubes has dropped and is holding at 62%. It does not seem to go any higher than this. I've already tried taking out the tubes and re-spraying them with Distilled Water twice. I know my Digital Hygrometer is properly calibrated as I verified it before adding the tubes. 

Does anyone know how I can increase the RH to 65%-68% again? Do you guys think my Humidor seal isn't good? Or do I need to maybe but another 1-2 medium Heartfelt Tubes?


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

How large is ur humi? Did you season it well? Where do u live? Are you opening it to check on it frequently? Personally I like mine south of 65 but everyone is different. 65 is not the gospel.


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

Sorry I see you're up north. I'll wait to hear back on the other questions and respond.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

TAB said:


> How large is ur humi? Did you season it well? Where do u live? Are you opening it to check on it frequently? Personally I like mine south of 65 but everyone is different. 65 is not the gospel.





TAB said:


> Sorry I see you're up north. I'll wait to hear back on the other questions and respond.


I followed the steps here and Seasoned it properly. At one point I had over-seasoned it and had to leave it open for a day since the RH inside was at 90%. The humidor itself is a Bally V 125 count Humidor. I've heard the more sticks to fill it up, the better it will regulate the humidity. I will be returning to NYC for New Years, and I will be passing by JR again and i'll pick up another 20-30 cigars.

I live in Montreal, Canada. Temperature inside the house is always a steady 21 degrees Celsius, and the Humidor temp is always around 20-21 degrees Celsius (about 68 degrees Fahrenheit).


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

Humm, there is a good bit of empty space in there. It's probably starting to get dry up where you live unless you run a whole house humidifier. I live in Chicago and mine drop a bit in the winter. Have you thought about putting a gel stick or tub in there? Those run wet, but the gel and beads should balance each other. In my larger setups I run gel and beads for this reason. Never hurts to check the seal if you haven't. 

Until you fill that thing up a bit more you will probably struggle with just two tubes. Either get more sticks, more beads, or some gel. You could also put a shot glass of distilled water in there if you don't move the humi and there's no risk of it getting bumped. By the way, is the Bally glass topped?


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## Merovius (Sep 11, 2013)

Hey @Karman15 ,pretty chilly up there in Montreal, beautiful city though. I like my cigars at 70% as well and live in Minnesota. From what Ive seen, the majority of the users on this forum reside in southern locales and haven't seen first hand what extremely low ambient humidity can do during the winters up north. With a standard humidor, even if the seal is tight, you will be battling the low ambient rh. You'll want to get your humidor at least 50% full and you may need more beads depending on its size. You should be familiar with the calculator on Heartfelt's site for amount needed. If you can stabilize at 65% with beads I'd say you're doing well. If that doesn't cut it for you then you could consider using painters tape to create a tighter seal on your lid, it will not leave a residue and comes off easily. Finally, you could look into airtight solutions like tupper ware and wine fridges. Hope that helps, best of luck.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

When I think of how hard I worked to get my Rh down to 62...


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## TCBSmokes (Sep 25, 2013)

Sorry I don't have a solution, but sort of the same situation. I'm in NC and have a Bally glass top about the same age as yours that started out at a steady 70 rh, which I liked and which held for about a month, but last couple weeks is barely holding 60 rh. It holds about 50-60 sticks and is 2/3 full. Hopefully it is just weather related, but if the rh starts dropping further, I'm gonna be worried, too. TCB


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

TCBSmokes said:


> ... Bally glass top ...


This is likely part of the issue too. Very rarely do these glass top humis have a good seal around the glass. I was given a glass top humi when I was just starting out. Thought it was neat because I could see my stash. It was fine in the summer, but once the cold weather rolled around, that thing could not hold in moisture to save its life. It's now my "dry box" and I only keep a handful of cigars in there that I like to smoke on the dry side that I plan on smoking within the week.


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

Have you thought about throwing a Xikar Large Humidifier up in there? It is built for up to 250 cigars....give that a try.


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## djsmiles (Aug 4, 2012)

MarkC said:


> When I think of how hard I worked to get my Rh down to 62...


I know, right? I keep my humidor around 60%.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

djsmiles said:


> I know, right? I keep my humidor around 60%.


I am having similar issues right now. When my 100 Count was full using HF beads I was a constant 65%. When I split my cigars between the 100 count and the new 250 count both boxes are having a hard time getting above 61-62% even with weekly wetting of the HF beads. My guess is we are having similar issues; more dry air due to winter and too much empty space in the boxes. Since I am not in the habit of buying "filler" for my box it's just something I am going to have to deal with until I get the sticks I really want to fill both boxes. Tuff it out, eh.


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## Nature (Jul 30, 2012)

I also have a Bally glass top. Glass tops are notorious for leaking around the glass. I suspect with the drier , winter air in your home, the wood shrinks just enough to leave a slight gap around the glass. There have been a few threads here discussing various methods to seal these. Silicone aquarium caulk has been mentioned. Personally, I just ran a very thin bead of plain Elmer's white glue around the inside joint of the glass. Can't see it, and it seemed to do the trick.

I also had a gap around the lid. I wedged a piece of cedar sleeve from a cigar on the lip and that seemed to help.


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## Tobias Lutz (Feb 18, 2013)

I'll join the group that says "If it isn't broken, don't fix it". If you absolutely prefer wetter smokes then I agree that the seal might be suspect. Try applying blue painters tape around the seal. It helps sure it up, but doesn't leave a sticky residue when you remove it. The glass-top will also be something you want to address. I own two glass-tops, but they are definitely more needy of attention than my other humidors.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

TAB said:


> Humm, there is a good bit of empty space in there. It's probably starting to get dry up where you live unless you run a whole house humidifier. I live in Chicago and mine drop a bit in the winter. Have you thought about putting a gel stick or tub in there? Those run wet, but the gel and beads should balance each other. In my larger setups I run gel and beads for this reason. Never hurts to check the seal if you haven't.
> 
> Until you fill that thing up a bit more you will probably struggle with just two tubes. Either get more sticks, more beads, or some gel. You could also put a shot glass of distilled water in there if you don't move the humi and there's no risk of it getting bumped. By the way, is the Bally glass topped?


Tried the shot-glass trick, kept it in there for a good 2 weeks. Temperature did not move, was still at 62% so I took it out because I was paranoid someone might bang the table where my Humidor was and spill it inside.

Yes the Humidor is a glass top. What is this Gel you're talking about? I've never heard of it. Maybe that is something I can look into getting...


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## TCBSmokes (Sep 25, 2013)

Nature said:


> I also have a Bally glass top. Glass tops are notorious for leaking around the glass. I suspect with the drier , winter air in your home, the wood shrinks just enough to leave a slight gap around the glass. There have been a few threads here discussing various methods to seal these. Silicone aquarium caulk has been mentioned. Personally, I just ran a very thin bead of plain Elmer's white glue around the inside joint of the glass. Can't see it, and it seemed to do the trick.
> 
> I also had a gap around the lid. I wedged a piece of cedar sleeve from a cigar on the lip and that seemed to help.


Nature, thanks. Sound like good ideas. T.


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## paulb1970 (Mar 25, 2013)

One of my humidors is a 50 count glass top that after holding steady at about 67 rh up until the weather got colder idropped and held at 60rh. (It's filled to capacity) I picked up a few of the small Boveda packs and dropped one in there and I'm back at 67-68 rh (fortunately thee are many local spots here so I didn't have to order them). If you still have your puck that came with your humidor you could also charge it up with some distilled water and add it. I have a few pucks laying around that I use for these situations.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

I don't think anyone has asked this important question.

What kind of hygrometer do you have and are you 100% sure its accurate?

Meaning that you might have calibrated it at what you thought was 65% when it actually wasn't.

Now that you have something in there that can regulate the RH better, it is possible that your RH% is at 65 but your hygrometer is calibrated to what you previously thought was 65%.

Being -+ by a few percent and having a constant and not fluctuating RH would lead me to believe that your hygrometer may be off.

You said you had verified it was calibrated............how did you do so?


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

No disrespect meant, but when a guy says he has calibrated his hygro and he's having issues with a 1/4 filled glass top humi running beads only in the great white north during the winter, it don't matter if his hygro is accurate...the poor fool's humi is always going to run on the dry side.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

TAB said:


> No disrespect meant, but when a guy says he has calibrated his hygro and he's having issues with a 1/4 filled glass top humi running beads only in the great white north during the winter, it don't matter if his hygro is accurate...the poor fool's humi is always going to run on the dry side.


I completely disagree.

When you have a humidor that small, it doesn't need to be full of cigars to maintain it's RH properly.

The beads will be plenty to keep the RH steady as long as he has enough.

The quantity of cigars thing really only matters in larger humidors that have a lot of empty space.


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## quincy627 (Jul 2, 2010)

You say 62% like it's a bad thing. Relax. Ride the waves with the change of the seasons.


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## djsmiles (Aug 4, 2012)

quincy627 said:


> You say 62% like it's a bad thing. Relax. Ride the waves with the change of the seasons.


This. 58%-62% is my ideal range.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

huskers said:


> I don't think anyone has asked this important question.
> 
> What kind of hygrometer do you have and are you 100% sure its accurate?
> 
> ...


I purchased the caliber IV digital hygrometer that came with a one step calibration kit. I still have the kit. I'll throw my hygrometer back into it again tonight and leave it for a day or two. However, I doubt the kit will still work and get the device set to 75% RH like it's suppose too.


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

huskers said:


> I completely disagree.
> 
> When you have a humidor that small, it doesn't need to be full of cigars to maintain it's RH properly.
> 
> ...


I would agree, if we were only talking about a 1/4 filled humi. But he's got a mid-grade glass-top and if it's the same one they're showing on-line it has one of those front-mounted hygrometers plus he lives up north. I have lived in the swampy South and I've lived in Chicago for the past 4 years. I can tell you with certainty that my humidors require more maintenance and attention in the winters up here than the rest of the year. It's currently around 25-30% RH in my basement where I keep my cigars...I don't even monitor RH upstairs. Basements as you know are more damp. This RH issue only gets worse as the winter drags on and the heat runs more.

I could run beads only in a cheap plastic bin all year long and not have problems when I lived in the South. Now, I run beads only late spring through early fall, then I use both gel and beads the rest of the time, and I have to refill the gel every 2-4 weeks.

Just curious why you think the quantity of cigars thing really only matters in larger humidors. If you've got a setup that can humidify roughly 125% (I ran the numbers using the external dimensions of his setup and the amount of cubic space HF says his two medium tubes will humidify -- not exact but close enough and only overestimates his need if anything) of your cubic airspace and your setup is only 1/4 full, your system is going to have to work harder to recoup the lost humidity every time the lid is opened regardless of whether it's a 20ct, 100ct, or 1000ct unit.


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## TAB (Dec 5, 2013)

Double post...


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## Pj201 (Apr 27, 2013)

Burn them at 62, you may be surprised...always try to keep your humi as full as possible for best performance.


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## imported_mark_j (Aug 18, 2013)

Pj201 said:


> Burn them at 62, you may be surprised...always try to keep your humi as full as possible for best performance.


This is the right answer. Smoke some of them at 62%. You might like it. My humidor spends all its time between 62%-65%. I only re-wet the Heartfelt beads when it drops south of 62%. And yes, in the Winter that is every 1 - 1.5 weeks.

If 65%+ is where you need to be, use a tupperware container with 65% Boveda packs in the Winter months.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

62% is the perfect RH... I store everything At 62!!!


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

TAB said:


> I would agree, if we were only talking about a 1/4 filled humi. But he's got a mid-grade glass-top and if it's the same one they're showing on-line it has one of those front-mounted hygrometers plus he lives up north. I have lived in the swampy South and I've lived in Chicago for the past 4 years. I can tell you with certainty that my humidors require more maintenance and attention in the winters up here than the rest of the year. It's currently around 25-30% RH in my basement where I keep my cigars...I don't even monitor RH upstairs. Basements as you know are more damp. This RH issue only gets worse as the winter drags on and the heat runs more.
> 
> I could run beads only in a cheap plastic bin all year long and not have problems when I lived in the South. Now, I run beads only late spring through early fall, then I use both gel and beads the rest of the time, and I have to refill the gel every 2-4 weeks.
> 
> *Just curious why you think the quantity of cigars thing really only matters in larger humidors. If you've got a setup that can humidify roughly 125% (I ran the numbers using the external dimensions of his setup and the amount of cubic space HF says his two medium tubes will humidify -- not exact but close enough and only overestimates his need if anything) of your cubic airspace and your setup is only 1/4 full, your system is going to have to work harder to recoup the lost humidity every time the lid is opened regardless of whether it's a 20ct, 100ct, or 1000ct unit*.


Let me try to explain my train of thought here.

You are correct, the media should regulate the humidor empty regardless of size if you have enough media.

The thing is when you open it.

The larger the space, the harder the media will have to work to bring the RH back to where it needs to be if it's empty. 
If it's full, the cigars will also buffer the RH so the media isn't working as hard. 
The RH would stabile out a lot faster with a bunch of cigars in there.

A smaller humidor should in theory be able to stabile out it's RH much quicker even without cigars due to the fact that there is so little air space.

Make sense?


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

62% is fine for starters.
If you have a really low ambient RH and a not so top of the line humi you can still lose moisture even with a tight seal, particularly around the bottom where a lot of makers dont seal them and place felt there which makes it even worse by causing a wicking effect.

My advice would be to get more humidification media in there.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

JustinThyme said:


> 62% is fine for starters.
> If you have a really low ambient RH and a not so top of the line humi you can still lose moisture even with a tight seal, particularly around the bottom where a lot of makers dont seal them and place felt there which makes it even worse by causing a wicking effect.
> 
> My advice would be to get more humidification media in there.


What type of Humidification media should I get? Someone earlier was talking about some kind of gel...Not sure what is it, maybe that would help. If not, I can always buy another 2 medium Heartfelt Humidity Tubes...not sure if having 4 tubes for about 30 cigars are the moment would overdo it though. I will eventually get another 20-30 cigars before the years end.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

Karman15 said:


> What type of Humidification media should I get? Someone earlier was talking about some kind of gel...Not sure what is it, maybe that would help. If not, I can always buy another 2 medium Heartfelt Humidity Tubes...not sure if having 4 tubes for about 30 cigars are the moment would overdo it though. I will eventually get another 20-30 cigars before the years end.


either beads or boveda


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## Laynard (Oct 10, 2013)

Karman15 said:


> What type of Humidification media should I get? Someone earlier was talking about some kind of gel...Not sure what is it, maybe that would help. If not, I can always buy another 2 medium Heartfelt Humidity Tubes...not sure if having 4 tubes for about 30 cigars are the moment would overdo it though. I will eventually get another 20-30 cigars before the years end.


Great thing about beads (and other two-way humidification systems) is you can never overdo it. I mean, they won't hurt your cigars. You may spend more money than you need to. Check out their calculator, but I always play it safe. I have 2lbs of beads in my wineador when I really only need a touch over 1lb, and four Bovedas for my desktop when I only need 2-3.


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

A jar of gel is perfect. Don't over think this one. It's easy as pie and trying to bend other media to your will is over doing it. I experience one degree of humidity loss for every degree of temp lowered. When it drops to 60% in goes the 68% gel jar with Distilled water on the top tray and within the day things go to 64%.
My single sticks drawer stays at 60-63% because they smoke better. Just like others said, try a smoke at the lower rh.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

huskers said:


> either beads or boveda


Are beads different from the Heartfelt Tubes? Because currently I have two medium sticks on each side in my Humidor, i'll try to take pictures and put them up to show you.



madbricky said:


> A jar of gel is perfect. Don't over think this one. It's easy as pie and trying to bend other media to your will is over doing it. I experience one degree of humidity loss for every degree of temp lowered. When it drops to 60% in goes the 68% gel jar with Distilled water on the top tray and within the day things go to 64%.
> My single sticks drawer stays at 60-63% because they smoke better. Just like others said, try a smoke at the lower rh.


Where can i buy a jar of gel from that will do the job?


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

@Karman15 This will easily work on a 100 ct and hold it between 65-70% rh you can also get jars cheaper or a couple sticks. The gel absorbs the water and then releases it slowly. If you get the rectangle do not soak it in distilled water for more than 1.5 hours or it will crack the case.
Humi-Care HX10 Crystal Gel Rectangle Humidifier - Cigars International


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

madbricky said:


> @Karman15 This will easily work on a 100 ct and hold it between 65-70% rh you can also get jars cheaper or a couple sticks. The gel absorbs the water and then releases it slowly. If you get the rectangle do not soak it in distilled water for more than 1.5 hours or it will crack the case.
> Humi-Care HX10 Crystal Gel Rectangle Humidifier - Cigars International


So after re-calibrating my digital Hygrometer and re-spraying my Heartfelt Beads, my RH% still hovers between 62-63. So i went ahead and tested my Humidor's seal with a Dollar Bill. It turns out my humidor has a imperfect seal. Both the left and right sides of my Humidor are fine, I am unable to remove the bill without tearing it. The front right and middle sections are similar as well. The issue is with the front left side. I am able to pull out the bill easily.

I've uploaded some pictures with the lid closed. The gap is perfectly visible. I wanted to know if anyone knew any solutions to fix the imperfect gap as this is most likely the cause of my low RH%.

Thanks


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

lots of painter's tape or time for a new box


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

zoey said:


> lots of painter's tape or time for a new box


I just bought this box in September and I paid $150 for it, so definitely getting a new one is out of the question.

How can I fix the seal with painters tape?


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

Karman15 said:


> I just bought this box in September and I paid $150 for it, so definitely getting a new one is out of the question.
> 
> How can I fix the seal with painters tape?


Apply several layers of blue painters tape in the area that is leaking until it no longer leaks.


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## ebbo (Mar 13, 2013)

What % humidity tubes did you get?


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## TCBSmokes (Sep 25, 2013)

Do you think it's warped, or just a badly crooked cut? A ruler and a t-square ought to help you figure out what exactly the problem is.

If the former, try a heavy weight on that corner for a few days, or may have to remove the lid and do the same, but on a hard surface, like a garage floor.

If it's a crooked cut, someone here but on another thread mentioned using cedar spills as a shim to level it out. Otherwise, get some bondo or plastic wood, sand it flat, then touch it up with wood stain.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

ebbo said:


> What % humidity tubes did you get?


I got 65% Heartfelt Humidity Tubes....2 of them, medium sized. I only have 30 Cigars in the Humi at the moment.



TCBSmokes said:


> Do you think it's warped, or just a badly crooked cut? A ruler and a t-square ought to help you figure out what exactly the problem is.
> 
> If the former, try a heavy weight on that corner for a few days, or may have to remove the lid and do the same, but on a hard surface, like a garage floor.
> 
> ...


Not sure to be quite honest. I'd have to take a deeper dive into it. But for certain, the seal isn't perfect on that left side. Not sure if the pictures above are great indicators.


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## TCBSmokes (Sep 25, 2013)

TCBSmokes said:


> Sorry I don't have a solution, but sort of the same situation. I'm in NC and have a Bally glass top about the same age as yours that started out at a steady 70 rh, which I liked and which held for about a month, but last couple weeks is barely holding 60 rh. It holds about 50-60 sticks and is 2/3 full. Hopefully it is just weather related, but if the rh starts dropping further, I'm gonna be worried, too. TCB


Just a little update.

Now all of a sudden, my rh is back up to 70. The only change I made was to re-wet the credo-type humidifier more quickly (w/in 4 days rather than a week or so), and, instead of replacing it back into the lid, I laid it flat on top of the cigars. This also allowed me to keep the max. amount of water in the device, as opposed to having to shake it out so as not to drip when it is inverted.

Only other variable I can think of is the weather. It has been rainy here, as opposed to the wintery dry stretch we had going on. I really need to get a hygrometer for the room itself, as without it I probably don't realize how much the humidity can change even within a home itself. Thanks. TCB


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

Good job, leave well enough alone. All this talk of goobering the flange with tape, Bondo, wood putty, etc is fine for a cheapo box with Ron Mexicos, not a higher end box. When you have a classy box that is warped and not sealing you call the vendor and get directions and a RMA while your sticks nap in a tupperador.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

madbricky said:


> Good job, leave well enough alone. All this talk of goobering the flange with tape, Bondo, wood putty, etc is fine for a cheapo box with Ron Mexicos, not a higher end box. When you have a classy box that is warped and not sealing you call the vendor and get directions and a RMA while your sticks nap in a tupperador.


Problem is with mine, I purchased it off an eBay user who has a store that sells Humidors. It was brand new. I contacted him regarding the not-perfect seal and he was ready to refund me, but i'd have to pay for the shipping which would cost $50 so i declined. That's why now i'm just looking for a simple and effective solution to stop the leak.


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## madbricky (Mar 29, 2013)

That looks like a hinge issue.... maybe. Try loosening the lower mount opposite that corner very slowly and also get a straight edge like a piece of steel from a combo square and verify the flange is straight and true corner to corner. Other than that you are into a cabinet maker repair shop territory.


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## deke (Aug 19, 2013)

Merovius said:


> Hey @Karman15 ,pretty chilly up there in Montreal, beautiful city though. I like my cigars at 70% as well and live in Minnesota. From what Ive seen, the majority of the users on this forum reside in southern locales and haven't seen first hand what extremely low ambient humidity can do during the winters up north. With a standard humidor, even if the seal is tight, you will be battling the low ambient rh. You'll want to get your humidor at least 50% full and you may need more beads depending on its size. You should be familiar with the calculator on Heartfelt's site for amount needed. If you can stabilize at 65% with beads I'd say you're doing well. If that doesn't cut it for you then you could consider using painters tape to create a tighter seal on your lid, it will not leave a residue and comes off easily. Finally, you could look into airtight solutions like tupper ware and wine fridges. Hope that helps, best of luck.


I agree with what you said 100%. For most of the year, two Drymistat tubes do my 35-50 'gar humi fine. But it just turned winter here and with new cigars added, RH dropped to 63%. Put shotglass for a week. Bumped to 72%. Now took it out and holding at 68%. I just think living in the north, I try to keep it on high side in the months when the furnace is running.


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

Just a quick update...for some odd reason now, my RH is sitting at a steady 65%. Been like this for a good 24 hours now. As mentioned before all I did was recalibrate my digital hygrometer and re-spray the two medium heartfelt tubes.


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

Karman15 said:


> Just a quick update...for some odd reason now, my RH is sitting at a steady 65%. Been like this for a good 24 hours now. As mentioned before all I did was recalibrate my digital hygrometer and re-spray the two medium heartfelt tubes.


Pants off!


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

zoey said:


> Pants off!


Not quite. I'm expecting a drop back to 62-63% momentarily lol


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

one leg out


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## Karman15 (Sep 17, 2013)

zoey said:


> one leg out


64%


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## zoey (Nov 17, 2013)

pants off!


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